11/19/18 10:07 PM

The trial of Comrade Maxwell ‘Zondiyinkundla’ Myeni resumes tomorrow, Tuesday 20 November 2018, at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court at 09h00. He was taken hostage by the notorious royal police at his home in Lavumisa on the night of Sunday 26 August 2018. He was later charged for wrestling with a gun-wielding policeman, Raphael Sikheshekheshe Maseko, on 24 August during a teachers’ peaceful protest action. Armed royal police officers had intended to mow down peacefully protesting teachers that day in Manzini.

Comrade Maxwell has been out on bail since 28 August 2018.

His arrest followed the splashing of over E1 billion (about US$70 million) by Mswati to celebrate his 50th birthday in April 2018 whilst almost 70 percent of the people of Swaziland languished in abject poverty.

The Communist Party of Swaziland calls upon all workers to cram the Manzini Magistrate’s Court and show support to him and defend the right of workers and the people of Swaziland to protest.

The arrest of Comrade Maxwell, a leader in the Swaziland National Association of Teachers, was a desperate attempt by the Mswati regime to crush the spirit of high resolve and militancy among the workers of Swaziland. The regime erroneously believed that workers would tone down their defiance campaign and acquiesce to the order “from the throne” that sought to ban all public gatherings in a bid to force the nation to partake in the sham tinkhundla elections. By that time Mswati had already unleashed terror on 24 August 2018 against peacefully protesting teachers as he gave a ‘shoot to kill order’ that resulted in the severe injury of Comrade William “Ma-Willies” Dlamini, a teacher at Salesian High School in Manzini, who was shot by a live bullet.

It has been revealed that the regime has been able to deploy some rats within the trade union movement to pressure Comrade Maxwell to offer an unconditional apology to the dictator Mswati and offer him cattle to show remorse for his heroic acts of preventing bloodshed. In all truth, this is not a case against Comrade Maxwell only. It is also, and in the main, a case against all workers of Swaziland. It is an attack on the people’s rights to freedom of association, assembly and movement. Therefore, the idea that he has to apologise for participating in the 24 august 2018 protest action that demanded a cost of living adjustment is not only aimed at subduing workers’ militancy, but also to isolate him.

But Comrade Maxwell remains unwavering. The same applies to many workers. It was through the undying spirit of defiance and resistance displayed by the thousands of workers of Swaziland that forced the regime to grant him bail. The regime is afraid of the workers’ potential. It will employ all tricks in its dictatorial book to dampen their spirit, even to the level of using agents it has planted within the trade union movement.

The Communist Party of Swaziland calls upon all workers of Swaziland to rally behind Comrade Maxwell at this trying moment. We also call for international solidarity with the struggles of workers in Swaziland. It is only through massive support that the leader will be absolved from the six trumped-up charges against him by the autocratic Mswati regime.